The leaves are starting to turn high in our notches so I find myself starting to anticipate another great ice climbing season in the Northeast. Last season I had the opportunity to demo the CAMP/Cassin X-Dream Ice Axes and while I shared my positive impressions of them with dozens of climbing partners I never got around to a full detailed review. With the ice climbing season quickly approaching what better time than now?

versatile

The Handle

By simply loosening one bolt you can pivot the handle into a “dry-tooling” setting appropriate for high level mixed climbing and competitions. This setting will align the handle/pick in a configuration quite similar to the Petzl Ergo Ice Axe. I don’t personally climb in competitions or send overhanging mixed sport routes in the winter so I only tested these in the “ice” setting which was the perfect angle for comfortable swings on steep grade 4 and grade 5 waterfall ice routes, and is quite similar to the alignment of the Petzl Nomic. If you’ve never demo’d a tool with a handle angled like this it’s hard to explain how much of a difference it makes on steep ice allowing your wrist to stay in a much more natural position and facilitating the relaxed grip that is so crucial on grade 4+ ice.

Micro-adjustable trigger finger ledges can be adjusted in multiple ways. With a small phillips head screw driver you can swap the main trigger finger ledge from the included “X-finger small” with an “X-finger large, sold separately, $6”. My medium sized hands preferred the smaller less obtrusive setting.

For those with very small hands you can snap in the X-Rest handle height insert (sold separately, $8) which raises the height of the handle interior by about 3 mm.

X-Finger (Small)

X-Finger (Large)

X-REST

The X-Trigger pommel (included) attaches to the shaft for an optional third ledge and can be slid up or down to your preferred spot. I liked mine just above the X-Grip 2 friction tape that is also included on the shaft.

Finally the entire handle can be swapped out with the recently released X-Dream Alpine Grip, a feature that greatly improves security when topping out an ice route and switching back to piolet canne.

Original X-Dream Grip (included) next to X-Dream Alpine Grip, sold separately $79.95 ea.

The Picks

There are three picks designed for the Cassin X-Dream Ice Axes and they come stock with the “Mixte” pick which I found worked as well as any ice pick I’ve used across the major manufacture brands. All three are T-rated which adds confidence when torquing or utilizing The Stein Pull. I plan on buying a set of the ice picks this season as I think the addition of the small hammer will add a nice touch of head weight and help this tool step even closer into the alpine environment (occasional testing of pitons, tool tapping to gently set a pick on thin ice, etc).

UPDATE: Soon after posting this review CAMP USA let me know that they just released two more compatible accessories that further add to the versatility of this tool. A new “Total Dry” pick designed for over-hanging hooking and competition. This brings the pick options on this axe to four! Also, and more exciting in my opinion is the new available head weights. I will be trying these out with a new set of ice picks this winter!

The Shaft

Cassin combines a T-rated aluminum shaft with a chromoly steel head that passes both CE and UIAA certification. Total weight is 1 lb 5 oz, 610 grams and the swing feels very natural and balanced. I did not find any need to adapt my swing to these like I have with some comparable models from other companies. With the included X-Grip friction tape and “third ledge” pommel I’ve found no need to supplement the rest of the shaft with after market grip tape. During placement the shaft dampens nicely without noticeable vibration and provides reliable feedback with each stick.

Summary

With a high degree of customization and optimization for steep ice, mixed routes, and competition climbing this Italian made ice axe should become a common sight on the steep ice drips around the world. If you lead or follow grade 4 and up waterfall ice you should try to demo a pair of these! While outfitting them with the new X-Dream Alpine Grip puts them in the running for the most expensive set of tools when it comes to waterfall ice axes sometimes you get what you pay for.

I’ve been wearing the Black Diamond Alpine Softshell pants almost daily for the last 5 months and have been really happy with their performance. A true three season pant I’ve worn them on sunny low 70’s days rock climbing on Whitehorse Ledge, blustery Mount Washington ascents (including my two hour car to car of Pinnacle), late season ice climbing, and summer alpine climbing in the Cascades. These were the only pant I wore for successful summits of Mount Shuksan, Forbidden Peak, and Mount Rainier. All told they have seen over 200 miles of hiking and 30,000 feet of climbing and still look and perform great! Let’s take a look at why these are suitable for such a wide variety of adventures!

Comfort- Temperature Range

Probably the best feature of these pants is how they have a very large range of temperature comfort. This is primarily achieved by Black Diamond’s proprietary four-way stretch fabric (88% nylon, 12% elastane) with a DWR finish. The material is soft enough on the inside that it feels great on bare legs and so breath-able that I could wear them on high humidity warm days during bug season without any discomfort. I actually found myself not climbing in shorts this season because I liked the added protection of a full pant like this pretty much every time I headed into the woods. Despite being so comfortable in warm and humid conditions the DWR treatment and weight of the material offered enough protection for them to be perfect in blustery alpine climbing conditions. I wore them exclusively for all three summits mentioned above and they were perfect even for our 1 AM below freezing alpine starts. A lightweight or mid-weight long underwear pant can easily expand the cold weather capabilities of these though I would pack a hard-shell to zip on over them in extreme cold/windchill/wet conditions.

Author wearing the pants at 11,000 feet on the Ingraham Glacier during crevasse rescue practice- photo by Alexandra Roberts

Comfort- Sizing/Fit

The second best feature of these pants is how well they fit. For reference I am 5′ 9″, 180 pounds, with a 34 inch waist and 32 inch inseam. I went with a size medium and they fit me quite well. They may be an inch long in the inseam but that is only noticeable if I am wearing flip-flops. Once I have trail shoes or boots on they do not feel too long at all and the stretchy material makes rolling them up around the calves for rock climbing super easy. The stretchy material also stays in place around the calf while I am climbing while other pants sometimes un-roll on me mid-pitch if I don’t fuss with a good “tight-roll”. There is also a hem-cord at the ankles that can help keep them tight around your boot or calf with just one pull.

Protection

These offer protection in quite a few ways. They are light enough to serve as bug/poison ivy/pricker protection in warm weather. They are durable enough to protect bare legs from rock abrasion while scrambling and climbing. They are virtually wind proof to guard from wind-chill (though I would add a hard-shell pant to my pack if looking at a wind chill advisory). They are water-resistant enough thanks to the DWR coating to deal with light precipitation and when they do get wet they are super quick drying. If glissading on Spring snow is on the agenda I would also add a hard-shell to the kit.

Features

I really like the integrated adjustable web belt and have not had any need to wear an additional belt but low profile belt loops are included anyways. The pant fits great underneath the two harnesses I used with it, the Petzl Sitta (reviewed here) and the Petzl Altitude (review coming). Two zippered hand pockets are perfectly positioned and a zippered right thigh pocket is large enough for my iPhone 6s Plus in its Hitcase Shield waterproof case <- great iPhone case by the way! There is also a zippered right rear pocket to round out the features of this pant.

Summit of Mount Rainier, July 27th, 2017- photo by @cfphotographyThe author on some late season ice last March begins testing the Black Diamond Alpine Softshell Pants- photo by @cfphotography

Summary

While I wore these for almost 5 months it was the two weeks that I lived in them in the Cascades that really won me over. Light enough to sleep in yet rugged enough to handle thousands of feet of alpine scrambling. I will likely be wearing these regularly for the rest of the New England Fall climbing season and they will probably go out on some fair weather ice climbing days this winter, though I have a couple heavier soft-shell pants that need to be reviewed this season as well. If you are in need of a versatile climbing pant backed by a great company this model deserves a very close look!

Disclaimer: This product was provided to the reviewer for purpose of review and all opinions expressed are genuine. All product links above are affiliate links. Using those links to make a purchase supports Northeast Alpine Start at no additional cost to you.

Those who know me know I can be a little obsessive about gear. I enjoy making detailed gear lists for trips sometimes weighing everything down to the ounce. I shared my first gear list for ski touring in Iceland this past April and most recently in a trip report for climbing Mount Shuksan in the Cascades. Since I have two more trip reports for the Cascades coming soon I’ve decided to give the gear list its own post that can be easily linked too without taking up so much space in the trip report.

Packing for Cascades Climbing Trip

Having over 20 years in outdoor retail I love chatting about gear so if you have any questions about any of my recommendations, or suggestions for better products, please comment below!

A super lightweight and pack-able 2 person single wall tent. I spent 12 nights in this from car camping between climbs to dug in at 11,000 feet at Ingraham Flats on Rainier and the tent performed perfectly through-out!

This was the best gear purchase I’ve made in over a decade. I have a few sleeping bags from a great heritage -30 EMS down bag to a fairly light 35 degree synthetic sleeping bag but I decided to upgrade for this trip and I could not have been happier for my first Western Mountaineering sleeping bag! I’ll go into greater detail in a review later but for now I’ll just say I slept GREAT in this compressible lightweight sleeping bag!

This goes with me everywhere. It’s super comfy on airplanes as a blanket and in hostels around the world. I also like that it keeps my expensive down sleeping bag clean (extending its life) even after weeks of griming sleeping!

I upgraded from my older, heavier, bulkier Therm-a-Rest Prolite sleeping pad with this in “short” and doubled it up with the closed cell foam pad listed below. It was a great combo for both warmth and comfort!

This stove was amazing on this trip! Super fast and efficient for melting snow I could easily budget just 2 ounces of fuel per person per day assuming we had water sources at Lake Ann and below Winnie’s Slide bivy site.

For dinner and breakfast I went with Mountain House meals. The egg scrambles were one of my favorite. For a dinner appetizer I carried a Lipton noodle soup packet and combined it with a Miso soup packet, great for replacing lost sodium and electrolytes! The Mountain House Pad Thai and Chicken Fajita Bowl both tasted great!

My mountaineering boots of choice, full review of them here. While I LOVE these boots for my cold New England ice climbing and mountaineering adventures they turned out to be a little too warm for Shuksan and Forbidden (but perfect for Rainier, more on that later). My co-guide Jordan who has been having a banner season in the Cascades was rocking the Salomon S-Lab X Alpine Carbon 2 GTX Boots… these things look AWESOME! Basically comfy enough for long warmish approaches, crampon compatible, and climb rock really well… I will be getting a pair of these before my next summer Cascade adventure!

Make sure you select the Leverlock or FL option! Great all around mountaineering crampon in my book! I have led grade 5 ice in them and walked hundreds of miles in them from Washington to Katahdin over the last decade and they are still going strong! I do plan to shave a little weight for these longer glaciated non-water ice routes by picking up a pair of Petzl Leopard Crampons soon!

The lightest most compatible trekking poles I have ever seen! I’ve been loving these! I’ve used them all over the White Mountains including a 2 hour car-to-car ascent of the Northeast Ridge of the Pinnacle! You can see them during one attempt in this video.

I brought this harness for the less technical Disappointment Cleaver route on Mount Rainier. Super lightweight, pack-able, and able to put on while wearing skis. It is everything I want in a mountaineering harness. Detailed review coming soon.

Cell phone service is very spotty on Mount Shuksan. I was able to find a bar or two of service (Verizon) at Lake Ann (southwest side) and send and receive a few text messages. We had no service at the bivy site at the top of Fisher Chimney’s however I was able to FaceTime my wife from the summit! For the times with no service the SPOT GPS Messenger easily allowed me to send “check-in” messages home and in my opinion is an important piece of rescue gear should an incident occur.

I recently upgraded from my older Petzl Myo model and this new model is awesome! Up to 260 hours of burn time and able to through light 90 meters! If you’re due for a headlamp upgrade I highly suggest you check out this model!

My current favorite GPS navigation capable smart-watch with optical heart-rate! This is the watch I used to create the GPS tracks linked in the trip report. It also allows one-button waypoint saving and the built in barometer/altimeter was a nice plus to our navigation plans.

Clothing

I’ve been wearing these back east for most of my Spring/Summer climbing season with multiple trips in Huntington Ravine and through-out the White Mountains so I felt confident taking them as my main climbing pant to the Cascades. Having essentially lived in them for two weeks of non-stop climbing I can whole heartedly endorse the comfort and performance of these soft-shell pants!

This is in my opinion the most critical piece of glacier clothing you can own. I reviewed it in detail here but on a shade-less blazing glacier this one garment offers more protection and comfort than any other article of clothing I own. I’ve said it before and I will keep saying it… EVERY climber should own one of these! I do have a small cult following of “sunshade hoodies” who have “seen the light” or better yet “appreciate the shade” that these things bring… just get one and thank me later ok?

I’ve been hoping to test a Mountain Tools pack for a couple of years now and early this summer I finally got my hands on one of this California companies new models, the ultra-light sleek and streamlined Mountain Tools Slipstream Pack.

Mountain Tools Slipstream Pack Review- photo from mtntools.com

After multiple cragging days on Cathedral and Whitehorse Ledges, some fast & light missions in Huntington Ravine, and some excellent alpine climbing in the northern Cascades, I’m ready to share my opinions of this pack. As usual I like to start with the obvious and work through the minutiae later on in the review.

Weight

Weighing in at only 11 ounces (310 grams) this pack seems to accomplish a lot with its design. For comparison one of the most popular similar styles from a competitor weighs 8 ounces more! The foam back pad is removable if one wishes to save yet another ounce but I prefer the padding stay intact when carrying an alpine rack with a few cams that might otherwise prod your back a little. Because this pack is so light I’ve been able to comfortably strap it to the outside of my Hyperlight Mountain Gear 3400 Ice Pack for multi-day alpine climbs when I wanted to have a smaller summit pack along.

Northeast Ridge of the Pinnacle- photo by Benny Allen

Durability

Made of 210 denier nylon with a polyester grid the material feels quite bomb-proof and abrasion resistant in hand. A “PET” laminate and hydrophobic webbing makes this pack highly water-resistant if not completely waterproof. After about 20 days of use the only noticeable wear is a small tear on the bottom, smaller than a dime, from a razor sharp rock I didn’t see during a quick “butt scoot” move while running down the Huntington Ravine trail. I’m certainly not disappointed that the material ripped on this feature and actually quite impressed with how fast the “rip-stop” material halted the tear. A lesser pack fabric would have probably ended in a much larger tear.

The author on the summit of Forbidden Peak, north Cascades

Comfort

This pack is designed to ride close and high on the torso for optimum climbing performance. As I mentioned I find the removable thin foam back pad to be a boon in comfort so I leave it intact. The shoulder straps have thin foam padding and contour nicely around my shoulders. The sternum strap easily adjusts to the proper height and has my often praised feature, the built-in whistle. The waist belt is very thin and easily rides above my harness. A “V” connection of the waist-belt to the pack body helps draw the pack in closer to the body further making this pack ride as if it were part of you. Considering the light loads you are likely to be hauling in this pack it is more than enough comfortable!

Author on the West Ridge of Forbidden Peak- photo by Matty Bowman

Storage

At 1,450 cubic inches (24 liters) one does have to consider what they will be carrying. I can easily fit the following gear inside the pack (and generally pack it in this order):

Full length daisy chains on the outside of the pack allow easy attachment of my Petzl Sirocco Helmet (review here)and chalk bag. The two compression straps allow securing of a climbing rope.

Mountain Tools Slipstream Pack Review

Accessories/Hydration

It would be great if Mountain Tools could add a single ice axe loop. There is an accessory offered for $7.95, “Ice Tool Straps” that probably addresses this desire but I think a single sewn loop at the bottom would be a great addition. The foam back panel sleeve does have room for a 2-3L hydration bladder but there is no hydration port so you would have to run the tube through the main zipper. For this reason I like to stick with a collapsible water bottle like the new Vapur Eclipse 1L water bottle I’ve been using. “Speed Racks” are also available for an additional $29.95 though I did not get a chance to demo that accessory.

Summary

While at first look this pack doesn’t seem to be that complicated its design reveals simplicity, functionality, and durability. It is an almost ideal summit pack, light enough to “piggy back” on your overnight pack, compressible enough to double as a sleeping bag stuff sack, durable enough to scum up countless chimneys, and balanced enough to skip down many more descents. If you are in need of a fast & light summit pack this one deserves some consideration!

About Mountain Tools: Mountain Tools is a family owned business serving climbers and mountaineers since 1980. We represent a comprehensive selection of gear from the best manufacturers and ship to our customers world wide and design and manufacture over 100 products – with the Mountain Tools label – to improve our climbing efficiency – including our Packs for Climbers, Web Gear and Climbers Luggage. Our experience includes outfitting expeditions, big wall climbing, guiding rock, ice and alpine treks plus volunteer search management and technical rescue.

Disclaimer: This sample was provided to the author for purpose of review. Affiliate links help support this blog.

The arrival of the updated ground breaking Petzl Sirocco this summer may be my most anticipated piece of gear news this year! I enjoyed hundreds of days climbing rock and ice along with a decent amount of ski mountaineering in my original Sirocco that I reviewed back in 2013 here. Needless to say I was pretty stoked to get my hands on a media sample of the 2017 model earlier this Spring and have since enjoyed over 30 days of both cragging and alpine climbing in this new model and I can say with complete conviction that Petzl has taken something great and made it even better!

Earlier this Spring I explained some of the basic differences between the outgoing model, the new 2017 Sirocco, and the current Petzl Meteor III helmet in this video:

Now I would like to dive into some of the details that make this the ultimate climbing helmet in my opinion, starting with the most obvious specification…

Weight

Anyone that reads my gear reviews knows I can obsess a little about weight. I love counting ounces and trimming weight in every category I can. The original Petzl Sirocco was indeed a game changer weighing in at only 6 ounces (170 grams) for my M/L size. My home scale shows the new model weights 6.125 ounces (172 grams). The closest competitor in regards to weight is likely the Black Diamond Vapor Helmet which comes in at 7 ounces (199 grams). But weight should really be secondary to…

Protection

This was actually what sold me on the first incarnation of the Petzl Sirocco, the fact that it exceeds EN-12492 certification and meets UIAA-106 standards! In fact Petzl helmets were the first climbing helmets that meet this higher standard!

Petzl 2017 Sirocco Helmet Review

Whoa… wait a minute… what the heck does all that mean?

Let me break it down.

Simply put, Expanded Polypropylene (EPP), the main material used in the construction of both the outgoing and the new 2017 Petzl Sirocco helmet has an excellent “energy absorbing” quality to it along with being quite rugged and durable. Essentially the difference is this helmet will transfer less energy to your melon (and neck) in the case of a hard hit.

The EN certification most helmets meet puts that amount of force at 10 kN but the Petzl Sirocco is tested to only transfer 8 kN. This is roughly 450 pounds less in force. This could mean the difference between suffering a more serious injury in a hard hit than when wearing a helmet that might “feel” more durable but transfer more force to the climbers head and neck. Skip to 1:20 in the below video to see this stress testing in action. (video is of 2013 model but physics point are the same)

In addition to the reduced impact force Petzl helmets are tested for “side impact” as well… something not yet required to pass a more general CE standard. As a climber, Wilderness First Responder, and Mountain Rescue Service member, I have seen a fair share of head injuries, some minor, some quite major, I can say that the entire head deserves protection… not just the top!

Finally in terms of “protection” one should note that the new design covers 2-3 cm lower on the back of the head… a common spot of injury in both ground falls and “rope behind the leg” leader falls.

Bottom line is the new 2017 Sirocco offers greater protection to your head than the previous model without gaining a single ounce!

So what about the next important consideration in a climbing helmet?…

Durability

Originally essentially a “one material” build Petzl has made to significant structural changes to the Sirocco design. The first is found inside and is an crown injected with expanded polystyrene (EPS).

Injected Polystyrene Liner

This material adds some ruggedness and durability to what at times could feel like a fragile construction material (the expanded polypropylene that some folks assumed was “Styrofoam”). While expanded polypropylene has excellent protective qualities it could show wear after a few seasons of hard use. My 2013 model has quite a few dings from random ice hits and possibly packing it in my pack a little too close to sharp crampons. Despite the dings I never felt the performance of the helmet was compromised, but the addition of a denser material under the crown makes it feel like this construction will have a longer life than the original Sirocco. Further research actually indicates that EPS actually has even higher energy absorption properties than EPP and is less durable than EPP, which is probably why Petzl added…

The author at work in his office

Durability x 2!

Petzl also added a poly-carbonate crown on the top of the helmet, the same great material that covers the whole shell of the popular Petzl Meteor III helmet. This hard yet light plastic will certainly fend off small hits of ice and rock and increase the service life of the helmet.

Poly-carbonate protective “crown”

Having considered the most important considerations like weight and durability it’s time to look at some other performance characteristics… like…

Breath-ability

The 2013 Petzl Sirocco was the most ventilated helmet I’ve ever owned, and the new 2017 model is no different. The design of the ventilation holes have drastically changed but by my estimate the ratio of material to “open space” is roughly the same. The 2013 model had 24 ventilation holes and the new model also has 24. As you can see from the comparison photo the older model had longer thinner vents and the newer model has wider more square like vents. If one was to measuring the difference in actual performance between the too I imagine it would be a pretty close tie. This brings us to some more “stylistic” changes…

Profile/Color

The 2013 Petzl Sirocco had a noticeable “dome” shape. That combined with the (offensive to some) orange color probably steered quite a few potential Sirocco wearers from donning this lid. Petzl has managed to drop the “peak” of this lid by one full centimeter. They’ve also changed the design to have a nice taper and removed the “dome” aspect all together.

Shape mattersPetzl 2013/2017 Sirocco Helmet Shape Comparison

We also now have the option of two colors, white and black! My sources say the white color will not be readily available until late Fall but that black model is available on Backcountry and Amazon along with our local climbing shop International Mountain Equipment!

To be honest I never minded the 2013 shape or color… but I do like the look of the new model more! There is just a couple other things to mention before we wrap this up…

Minutiae

Worthy of mention is the wider helmet/goggle strap. The 2013 model could easily accommodate ski goggle straps up to about 2 inches in thickness. The new headlamp/goggle strap can accommodate a 3 inch goggle strap.

Headlamp/Goggle strap can accommodate

Not a big deal in my opinion because none of the goggles I have ever owned have a strap wider than 2 inches but maybe some out there have goggles with really wide straps? More noticeable is the orientation of the helmet strap is now reversed with the elastic cord latching towards the bottom vs the top like on the 2013 model. This is a small but welcome improvement as I often fumbled with fixing a headlamp or ski goggles on the helmet while I was wearing it, to the point where I usually resorted to just taking my helmet off (adding risk) to attach my goggles or headlamp… this change for the 2017 Petzl Sirocco model allows me to easily add a headlamp or ski goggles without removing my helmet… this is actually important minutiae!

A small update has been made to the innovative magnetic chin strap clip… the magnet can be removed for those who climb in areas with high iron contents. Care needs to be taken that the magnet does not attract too much “magnetized dust” as if it get’s gunked up it can impede its function… With the magnet removed the chin strap functions like a traditional clip.

2013 Petzl Sirocco Chin Strap Buckle vs the 2017 model

The thin harness straps are still super adjustable and allow the helmet to fit just about any head shape out there. The small mesh/foam pads inside are still removable for occasional washing… I tend to throw them in the wash once or twice a year to get some of my “grime” out of them…

Summary

I’m not sure what more I can say here… I love this helmet. Seriously my only complaint is that Petzl decided to keep the same name. The 2013 Sirocco was great. The 2017 Sirocco is even better and pretty drastically different. Constructed of three materials instead of just one, totally different profile/shape, different ventilation scheme… it just seems like this re-design would have been worthy of a new name, or at-least a (Plus or Two) added to the name similar to the GriGri legacy… which by the way I reviewed in detail the newest Petzl GriGri+ here if you are interested.

Petzl 2017 Sirocco Helmet Review

If you are in need of a new climbing helmet or looking to upgrade, might I highly endorse this helmet for you? You can purchase it from the retailers below and doing so will help support my efforts at provided detailed reviews like this for years to come!

The Petzl Sitta (pronounced SEE-Tah) is a stand-out harness in the very small and exclusive class of high-end technical harnesses. I bought my first top-of-the-line harness back in 1995 when I realized I was addicted to climbing. The Petzl Guru was a stand out at that time both for its notice-able rescue orange color and its high price point (it was double what most harnesses cost in the 90’s).

Despite the price tag I never regretted the purchase as it was really comfortable for the era and served me well for the start of my climbing career from Red Rocks to the Rockies and back East. Since I retired it around 2000 I’ve gone through a steady stream of harnesses, almost always Petzl; Adajama, Corax, Calidris, Sama, another Adajama, then a Hirundos (review), and now the Petzl Sitta.

I recently saw a fellow guide post a picture of his climbing book library and thought it might be helpful to share some of my favorite books in my own personal collection. Early on in my climbing career I simply could not read enough about climbing. Not only did I read every book I could find on the subject I also read the two popular climbing magazines of the day religiously. Here’s a quick run-down of my top 10 climbing books.

One of the first two books I purchased when I started climbing in 1994. Since then it has been updated 5 times and is currently in its 8th Edition. This book is often referred to as “the Bible of climbing” and while it is not the only book you’ll ever want it is encyclopedic in nature. The scope of the book is massive and it’s an excellent resource to start building your basic skills. This one belongs in every climber’s collection!

The second book that set me on a direct path to becoming a climber was this iconic piece by John Long, an author I would go on to read just about every book he ever published. John’s way of mixing humor with instruction made reading this book cover to cover multiple times really enjoyable.

An essential skill that tends to mystify many new climbers is that of building quality anchors for climbing. This greatly illustrated book came in clutch during my formative years and helped lay a foundation for advanced understanding during further training and practice.

The first book I am mentioning that is targeted to an intermediate to advanced audience. This book assumes you’ve been climbing for awhile and have the types of skills covered in the first three books pretty dialed. Great prose and inspirational photography in this one!

This was the first book that really started improving my efficiency in the mountains. While the first three books I’ve listed laid the foundation this work started me thinking more about optimizing systems and streamlining concepts to move farther and faster in the mountains.

Another eye-opener that challenged a lot of conventional wisdom from previous works I still remember how this book really helped me update my clothing systems and speed up my transitions allowing to move more quickly and more comfortably in all types of winter conditions.

Another essential skill that can seem over-whelming to learn, this book is one of the best on the topic I have read. Many of the systems described can be quite complicated and occasionally there is a newer and often simpler way to execute some of techniques described in this book so I’d strongly encourage newer climbers combine a day or three of qualified instruction from a certified guide to go along with this book.

For those contemplating getting into the guiding world this is a must have before you take your AMGA Single Pitch Instructor Course. Studying this text before the course will really help you get the most out of the program and having it for reference after will help commit skills learned to long-term memory.

The Mountain Guide Manual: The Comprehensive Reference–From Belaying to Rope Systems and Self-Rescue

The newest and arguably the most relevant addition to my library, this book is absolutely a must-have for aspiring and current guides and instructors. The authors assume the reader already has a fair amount of understanding (likely gleamed from the above books, previous instruction, and experience) but any climber will find skills in this book that can improve their climbing even if guiding is not the end-goal.

Did I miss one that would be in your top-ten? Let me know in the comments below! You can also purchase any of these books on Amazon by clicking the book below!